Who & Where We Are

The Agricultural Research Service (ARS) is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's chief scientific in-house research agency. Our job is finding solutions to agricultural problems that affect Americans every day from field to table. Here are a few numbers to illustrate the scope of our organization:

750 research projects within 17 National Programs

2000 scientists and post docs

6,000 other employees

90+ research locations, including overseas laboratories

$1.1 billion fiscal year budget

Mission Statement

ARS conducts research to develop and transfer solutions to agricultural problems of high national priority and provide information access and dissemination to:

ensure high-quality, safe food, and other agricultural products;

assess the nutritional needs of Americans;

sustain a competitive agricultural economy;

enhance the natural resource base and the environment and

provide economic opportunities for rural citizens, communities, and society as a whole.

Vision

The ARS vision is to lead America towards a better future through agricultural research and information.

Administrators

The ARS Administrator is Dr. Chavonda Jacobs-Young. Dr. Steven R. Shafer is the Associate Administrator, National Programs. Dr. Simon Liu is the Associate Administrator, Research Management and Operations. For more information seeBiographical Sketches of our Administrators.

Plans and Reports

We follow a strategic plan we develop to meet our stakeholders' needs and support USDA's mission. We check our progress in carrying out that plan, and we modify it as circumstances require. See all our Plans and Reports.

Budget

Since we are an agency of the Research, Education and Economics mission area of USDA, Congress establishes our annual budget on the basis of the President's proposed budget and research priorities. Our budget for fiscal year 2015 is about $1.1 billion.

Partnering

Our scientists frequently collaborate with research partners from universities, companies, other organizations, and other countries. See more about Partnering and Technology Transfer.